We are RA*W - a non-profit organisation based in Amsterdam. RA*W offers a platform for young talent to develop their careers and themselves. Are you a student or a starter with 0 - 5 years of experience? Come join our community of ambitious young talent in the Dutch creative industry. The RA*W community is open to everyone: just follow our social channels and you're in! Our industry can be a tough one to get into, with different aspects often remaining unknown when you’re just starting out. That’s why we educate students on what the advertising industry entails and offer them a pathway into the creative industry. We help young professionals to further develop their skill set as they progress in the field.
We are RA*W
This is what we stand for.
We are RA*W.
We believe that diverse young talent is the future of the creative industry.
Talent deserves to grow. Talent deserves to be included. Talent deserves investment from our beloved industry.
That’s where we come in.
To guide new generations into the established world of advertising.
To inspire. To connect. To expand perspectives.
Because every talent should be able to grow in our creative industry.
RA*W is here for rising stars. And it’s time to shine.
What we offer
- We connect young talent with the creative industry and vice versa. For example with our Student Speeddates, Adopt an Intern campaign, agency sessions & workshops. We support industry initiatives such as 24Academy, connecting students to our industry.
- We offer a safe environment to talk about important but sometimes sensitive topics. With our Round the Table event and Real Talks sessions we aim to open up the conversation about taboos in the creative industry.
- We create inspiring content in collaboration with industry pioneers to give you the insights of the creative industry that you need. Check out our (Dutch) podcast series RAUWKOST and follow us on Instagram to stay up-to-date with the latest content.
- We provide a stage for (unseen) young talent. We want to trigger them with challenges like RA*W LABS and the STREET-HEART digital out-of-home challenge, to encourage them to get the best out of themselves.
- We guide and endorse students and starters to find their dream job in advertising with our yearly VIA student session & events like RA*W Career Day.
- We organize interactive knowledge sessions with various agencies and collaborate with Agencies of Amsterdam, the young talent programs of VIA and our friends at JongeHonden, Result Recruitment and ADCN.
- We host exclusive events for young talent, bringing Dutch talent to international events. With the RA*W Cannes Summer Course we visit the yearly Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in Côte d’Azur, France with a group of excited, ambitious young people. And we host our own RA*W After Cannes event, to bring all the inside knowledge and inspiration from Cannes Lions to you.
Current Board members
Connect with us!
Tom Marsch
Campaign Manager - DPG Media
This beast from the East is always down for a good wine and Italian food (but hates cooking). He loves a modern interior but has a house filled with street-finds and thinks he is allergic for the gym! 😮💨 You can make him happy with a good laugh, inspiring content and sleep. His motto: ‘It will be fine, if not? Then still’🔥
Gijs Lammers
Associate Design Director - G2K
Favourite color #0000ff. Uses "Plussen" to move things forward. Won his elementary school drawing contest on the subject; 'draw the school of the future'. Live, love typography, laugh. For intimates: Fissa with Gissa⚡️
Maartje Mestrini
Project Manager - DentsuACHTUNG!
A vibrant sparkle. Will light up your room. The perfect balance between, copy, creativity and curls.
Tjoy Bousché
Project Manager - MEDIAHUIS
When not in the dance studio, she's definitely bouncing around in her car with Busta Rhymes and Outkast on 🎶 She is very passionate about giving talent a stage 💫 One day she aspires to become a DJ bringing oldskool Hiphop back to events 🚀
Tobias Vermeiren
Brand Strategist - DentsuACHTUNG!
A sport junkie who loves to party 🎉 Born and raised in a creative family and with a love for scientific research, he is a nice cocktail of the left and right brain hemispheres 🧠 In his spare time he love to play pubquizes. His favourite round: the music round.
Jhelisa Panfred
Junior Strategist - HERC
Her goal is to do everything she loves 💜 Making her a strategist by workday and a podcaster and photographer by worknight and weekend. Everything she does comes from a place of wanting everyone to feel like they belong 💫 Words like inclusion, diversity, equity, and normalization are mentioned by her on a daily basis.
Lucas van Gog
Content Strategist - DentsuACHTUNG!
This guy is curious about everything and loves going down the occasional rabbit hole🔍🐰. When not working on 💫snappy💫 content strategies, you can find him in the gym💪 or the brown smartlappen cafe (Yes, Hazes is still the basis🎶). It’s all about balance🧘♂️ His partytrick? Knowing endless obscure history facts🤓📚.
Loïs Weeber
Junior Creative - DEPT
Structure is her second name since she’s not only connecting the dots above the ï in her name, but “de puntjes op de i zetten” also says a lot about her personality ⚡ She feels most at home underneath the palmtrees 🌴, as she lived for 1,5 year on her own in Curaçao.
Ahmed Elshaarawi
Creative Strategist - UM
Recognizable by his glasses and his passion for football, history and advertisements. A creative strategist by day, but as soon as the night falls he can be found driving. He can also be found in events since he gets energy through cross-pollination of different people, ideas, disciplines and music. He believes that brands are playing an increasingly important role in society, and that it is our role to make a sustainable connection with all layers of society.
Eva Lokhorst
Junior Creative - Creature
Born, blessed and sometimes burdened with a hyperactive and creative spirit. She is an open book, an extravert, a (day)dreamer and a terrible driver. Fluttering like a butterfly she loves to get lost in her obsessions for asian fashion, bitterballen & contradistinctions. With an open heart to everything that crosses her path, she at all times lives by her one and only religion... pure authenticity and sincerity🦋❤️🔥
Bianca Lubbers
Social Creative - Hey Honey
Bianca pulls from a lot of places that lean towards things that don’t seem to belong. Sometimes with concepts. Sometimes with Beyonce. She's passionate about storytelling and film. A bit chameleon like, She can adapt to a lot of places and take the shape of things before her.
Motilayo Williams
Creative - Media.Monks
I have joy that’s what you say when you call her by name (literally). Creative by, driven by curiosity, fearless for new adventures and inspired by people. She has a soft spot for dreamy k-dramas and punchy anime and a fresh stroopwafel could make her change her mind.
Puck de Mol van Otterloo
Accountmanager - N=5
She is a burst of energy and always eager to try new things. A lactose lover and forever Disney-fan. A perfectionist at heart with a creative background. She is happiest when on skis, always around friends and in love with organising events, so no wonder she’s so happy to join RA*W!
Want to join the board?
We’re always looking for new Board Members who want to help students and young talent in the Dutch creative industry. The pro’s? Expand your own network, your industry perspective and explore new skills and opportunities. Curious? We love to hear from you!
contact us